Full-fashioned undergarment



p 196 J. R. FORS 3,0&24

FULL'FASHIONED UNDERGARMENT Filed Sept. 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JUAN 120v naA "F0125 W1 W2 w-a W4 w-s we W-7 A T TOP/V15 Y5 Sept. 28, W65

J. R. FORS 32%,242

FULL-FASHIONED UNDERGARMENT Filed Sept. 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: JUAN ROVHEA F0125 BYWMM j WL ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,258,242 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 Claims. (cl. 66-177) This invention relates to an improved full-fashioned undergarment of the type that is formed from an elongate flat blank which is fashioned as it is knit on a fullfashioned flat bed knitting machine to form front and rear body panel-s interconnected by a crotch panel. The blank is folded along a medial line and opposite sides of the body panels are stitched together to form leg openings on opposite sides of the crotch panel' This type of undergarment is usually worn by women and referred to as a panty, however, it may be worn by children or men.

It is the usual practice to knit a panty of this type from a stretchable synthetic yarn so that the panty has sufficient elasticity to provide a snug fit and allow freedom of movement by the wearer. However, the use of stretchable synthetic yarns, such as nylon, Dacron, Orlon, and the like, has certain disadvantages. For example, many people are allergic to these synthetic yarns and the yarn causes skin chafing, particularly in the crotch area where friction of the garment is greatest upon the wearer. Also, the ability of these synthetic yarns to absorb moisture from the body is very limited. In most instances, this type of panty is knit on a relatively fine gauge machine so that the fabric is very closely knit and retards evaporation of any moisture that many be present on the skin and the panty therefore feels wet and clammy to the wearer.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved full-fashioned panty which is knit of a stretchable synthetic body yarn and wherein at least portions of the panty are formed with transferred stitches to provide an open mesh fabric which facilitates evaporation of moisture from the skin of the wearer.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a full-fashioned panty of the type described wherein at least the medial portion of the crotch of the panty has an elongate area with an additional yarn interknit with the courses of the stretchable body yarn and the additional yarn forms terry loops that extend inwardly of the panty to provide an area of greater moisture absorbency in this portion of the panty. The terry loop area is more concealing and the terry loops in the crotch portion of the panty also provide a cushion that prevents irritation and chafing of the skin by the synthetic body yarn.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a full-fashioned panty blank formed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of a completed panty formed from the panty blank shown in FIGURE 1 FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged view of an area of the knit fabric enclosed in the dotted rectangle indicated at 3 in FIGURE 1 and illustrating the manner in which the additional yarn is interknit with the stretchable body yarn to form terry loops in the crotch panel of the panty; and

FIGURES 4-8 are somewhat schematic vertical sectional views through the stitch forming and stitch loop transferring elements of a full-fashioned knitting machine to diagrammatically illustrate the manner in which spaced stitch loops are transferred to adjacent needles.

The full-fashioned panty blank shown in FIGURE 1 is preferably knit from the bottom to the top and it is preferred that the lower edge of the blank. be provided with a plain knit turned welt 10 which may be made on the full-fashioned machine in a manner similar to that by which the welt is formed on ladies full-fashioned hosiery. Successive courses are than knit of the stretchable synthetic body yarn to form a back body panel, broadly indicated at 11. During the knitting of the panel 11, up to the dotted line 12, spaced stitch loops are transferred following the knitting of certain courses, in a manner to be later described, to form an open mesh or lacelike fabric. All of the courses in the back panel 11 are shown of the same length, however, the length of the courses may be varied to provide a curved contour along opposite side edges of the back panel 11, if desired.

The crotch panel, indicated broadly at 14, has opposite sides that are substantially curved inwardly toward each other so that the Width at the center of the crotch panel 14 is less than half the width across the back panel 11. The inwardly curved sides of the crotch panel 14 are formed by decreasing and then increasing the length of the courses. The length of the courses may be varied by the well-known narrowing and widening operations,

" however, it is preferred that the courses be gradually decreased and then increased by varying the length of travel of the yarn carrier.

In the panty blank shown in FIGURE 1, the length of travel of the yarn carrier is gradually reduced up to the dotted line 15, the length of travel of the yarn carrier is maintained constant during the knitting of the courses from the dotted line 15 to the dotted line 16, and then the length of travel of the yarn carrier is gradually increased to the end of the crotch panel 14, at the dotted line 17.

During the knitting of the medial courses of the crotch panel 14, an additional yarn is interknit with the courses of the body yarn, in a manner to be presently described, to form a terry loop area 20.

Upon completion of the knitting of the crotch panel 14, at the dotted line 17, a front body panel 22 is formed by knitting a plurality of successive courses of open mesh fabric. The courses of the front panel 22 are shown as being of the same length, however, they may be varied in length to provide curved opposite sides adapted to' mate with opposite sides of the rear body panel 11. At the end of the front body panel 22, a finished edge 23 is formed to complete the panty blank.

The panty shown in FIGURE 2 is formed by folding the front panel 22 down upon the rear panel 11, stitching together corresponding sides of the front and rear panels, inserting an elastic band in the turned welt portions 10 and 23 to aid in supporting the panty around the waist of the wearer, and attaching elastic tapes 24- to the opposite edges of the crotch panel 14 to finish the leg openings.

As shown in FIGURES 4-8, the improved panty blank can be knit on a conventional full-fashioned knitting machine with minor modifications. For example, special sinkers 31 are supported for longitudinal movement in alternate slots of the sinker head 31a. The special sinkers 31 are provided with an upper yarn receiving throat 32 and a lower yarn receiving throat 33. Intervening slots of the sinker head 31a! support conventional dividers, indicated in dotted lines at 34 in FIGURE 4. If desired, the special sinkers 31 may be provided in only that portion of the sinker head 31a that corresponds to that area in which the terry loops are to be formed.

The machine is also provided with loop transfer points 35 which are supported in a transfer bar, not shown, and spaced to at times engage and pick up stitch loops from every other needle 37. A terry loop yarn carrier 36 and 2 19 a body yarn carried 36' are provided to traverse the needle bed. The yarn carrier 36 operates throughout the knitting of the garment blank to feed the body yarn into the lower throat 33 of the sinkers 31 and into the conventional throat of the dividers 34. The terry loop yarn carrier 36 is adapted to operate only during the knitting of the terry loop area 20 of the blank and to feed the terry loop yarn to the higher throat 32 of the sinkers 31.

As the sinkers 31 and dividers 34 advance between the needles 37 after the yarn has been laid by the carriers 36 and 36', the upper throat 32 of the sinkers 31 carries the terry yarn a greater distance between the needles than the throat 33 carries the body yarn. The extra length of terry yarn forms terry loops, indicated at L, that extend upwardly from the upper face of the panty blank. Knockover bits 38 are positioned between the needles 37 and support the knit fabric as the needles are lowered to stitch drawing position in a conventional manner.

To form the open mesh fabric in the crotch panel and in the front and rear body panels, the body yarn carrier 36 traverses the desired number of needles in the needle bed and feeds the yarn into the lower throat 33 of the sinkers 31 with the knitting elements in the position shown in FIGURE 4. The sinkers 31 are successively advanced between alternate needles to push the body yarn forward between the needles and then the dividers 34 move inwardly to give the divider loops the same form and tension as the sinker loops. The needles move downwardly so that the new body yarn passes under the needle beards before they are closed by the presser edge of the sinker head 31a. The sinkers 31 and dividers 34 move back into the sinker head and the stitch loop is formed on the needle while the fabric is supported on the knockover bits 38. As the needles begin their upward movement, the sinkers 31 and dividers 34 move out of the sinker head 31a to hold the fabric in place as the needles move upwardly and away from the sinker head 31a.

In the present instance, after alternate courses of stitch loops are formed, the transfer points 35 move into engagement with alternate ones of the needles 37 to pick up their stitch loops and transfer them to the adjacent needles in the manner shown in FIGURES 48. During this transfer operation, the yarn carriers 36 and 36' remain idle and do not traverse the needle bed. It is preferred that the stitch loops be transferred to adjacent needles in one direction during one transfer operation and then that the stitch loops be transferred in the opposite direction during the next transfer operation.

To form the open mesh fabric with the terry loops L, the body yarn is laid in the lower throats 33 of the sinkers 31 by the carrier 36 and the terry yarn is laid in the upper throats 32 of the sinkers by the yarn carrier 36. Then, after alternate courses of stitch loops are formed, the transfer operation takes place, in the manner shown in FIGURES 48. As shown in FIGURES 7, the sinkers 31 are advanced to flatten and retain the upwardly extending terry loops against the fabric to prevent them from being picked up by the transfer points 35 as they move into engagement with the beards of the needles 37.

In the enlarged detail of the fabric shown in FIGURE 3, the wales W-1 through W-7 represent the wales in which the needles operate, the wales indicated at 31' represent the wales in which the sinkers operate and the wales indicated at 34 represent the wales in which the dividers operate. The stretchable synthetic body yarn is indicated at B and the additional yarn, which forms the terry loops L in the sinker wales 31, is indicated at T. The terry loop yarn T is speckled to aid in distinguishing it from the body yarn B. The two yarns may be the same color or different colors. The terry loop yarn T is preferably formed of spun cellulosic fibers such as cotton, and the synthetic body yarn B may be crimped by any of the wellknown processes to make it stretchable.

The course C-]. is formed of the body yarn B only and when this course was initially formed, a stitch loop was formed on each of the needles in wales W-1 through W-7. In the next cycle of the machine, with the yarn carriers in an idle position, the transfer points picked up the stitch loops from the needles in wales W-2, W4- and W6 to the left in FIGURE 3 and placed them on the adjacent needles in corresponding wales W1, W3 and W5.

In course C-Z, both yarns B and T were fed to all of the needles and the sinkers drew an extra length of the terry yarn T to form the loose terry loops L in the sinker wales 31. The needles were then drawn down to shed the previous loops and form what may be termed a plain course with terry loops. Since the stitch loops had been transferred from the needles in wales W-Z, W-4 and W-6 in the previous course C-1, no stitch loops were on these needles during the knitting of course C2 so that openings, indicated at O, are formed in the fabric.

In the course C3, both yarns B and T were fed to all of the needles and double yarn stitch loops are initially formed on all needles with the terry yarn T forming loops L in the sinker wales 31. Then, with the yarn carriers idle, the loops on the needles in wales W2, W4 and W-6 were picked up and transferred to the right in FIG- URE 3 to place the stitch loops on the needles in the adjacent corresponding wales W3, W-S and W-7.

Course C-4 was formed in the same manner as course C-Z. Course C-5 was formed in the same manner as course C3 except that the stitch loops were transferred in the opposite direction or to the left in FIGURE 3. Courses C6 and C-8 were formed in the same manner as the courses C2 and C4 and the course C-7 was formed in the same manner as the course C-3 with the transfer of the stitch loops taking place in the same manner; i.e., to the right in FIGURE 3.

Opposite ends of the terry loop area 20 in the crotch panel 14 may be contoured or substantially rounded, as shown in FIGURE 1, by varying the length of travel of the terry yarn carrier 36, relative to the length Of travel of the body yarn carrier 36. Thus, in knitting the blank in FIGURE 1 from bottom to top, the terry loop carrier 36 traverses only a few needles in the central portion of the needle bed and at the beginning of the terry loop area 20. In knitting successive courses, the yarn carrier travel is gradually increased to thereby form the rounded lower end portion of the terry loop area 29. Near the end of the knitting of the terry loop area 20, the length of travel of the terry loop yarn carrier 36 is gradually reduced in successive courses to form the rounded end portion of the terry loop area 20, as shown in FIG- URE 1.

As best shown in FIGURE 4, the terry loops L extend upwardly from the upper face of the knit fabric a substantial distance and they face inwardly in the finished panty, as shown in FIGURE 2, to form a cushion that prevents direct engagement of the stretchable synthetic body yarn B with the body of the wearer. This cushion of terry loops also provides greater moisture absorbency in the crotch of the panty.

The open mesh stitch formation in the panty also aids in the evaporation of moisture from the absorbent loops of yarn as it is picked up from the body. Although the terry loops are shown as being formed in only a selected area of the crotch, it is to be understood that the terry loops may be extended to the complete garment, or to a greater or lesser extent than shown in FIGURE 1. Also, the open mesh stitch formation is shown extending throughout the front panel 22, crotch 14 and rear panel 11, however, it is to be understood that this open mesh stitch formation can be provided in only selected portions of the panty blank, if desired.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A full-fashioned panty formed from a single piece of fabric knit of a body yarn and including front and rear panels interconnected by a crotch panel, the major portion of said crotch panel being narrower than said front and rear panels, corresponding edges of said front and rear body panels being connected to each other and the edges of the crotch panel defining leg openings in the panty, said body yarn being knit to form open mesh fabric in at least the medial portion of said crotch panel, said crotch panel having an elongate area with an additional yarn interknit with the courses of said body yarn and forming terry loops extending inwardly of said panty, and said additional yarn having greater moisture absorbency properties than said body yarn.

2. A full-fashioned panty formed from a single elongate piece of fabric knit of a stretchable synthetic body yarn and including front and rear body panels interconnected by a crotch panel, the major portion of said crotch panel being narrower than said front and rear panels, corresponding side edges of said front and rear body panels being connected to each other and the edges of the crotch panel defining leg openings in the panty, said body yarn being knit to form open mesh fabric in the major portions of said front and rear panels and throughout said crotch panel, and at least the medial portion of said crotch panel having an elongate area with a cellulosic yarn interknit with the courses of said body yarn and forming terry loops extending inwardly of said panty.

3. A full-fashioned panty formed from a single elongate piece of fabric knit of a stretchable synthetic body yarn and including front and rear body panels interconnected by a crotch panel, the major portion of said crotch panel being narrower than said front and rear panels, corresponding side edges of said front and rear body panels being connected to each other and the edges of the crotch panel defining leg openings in the panty, said body yarn being knit to form open mesh fabric in the major portions of said front and rear panels and throughout said crotch panel, said open mesh fabric including alternate plain courses and intervening courses having regularly recurring spaced stitch loops transferred to adjacent wales, and at least the medial portion of said crotch panel having an elongate area with an additional yarn interknit with the courses of said body yarn and forming terry loops extending inwardly of said parity.

4. A full-fashioned panty formed from a single piece of fabric knit of a stretchable synthetic body yarn and including front and rear body panels interconnected by a crotch panel, the major portion of said crotch panel being narrower than said front and rear panels, corresponding edges of said front and rear body panels being connected to each other and the edges of the crotch panel defining leg openings in the panty, at least the medial por' tion of said crotch panel having an elongate area with an additional yarn interknit with the courses of said body yarn and forming terry loops extending inwardly of said panty, and the number of wales in which said additional yarn is interknit with said body yarn being gradually varied in successive courses at opposite ends of said elongate terry loop area to substantially round opposite ends of said terry loop area.

5. A full-fashioned panty formed from a single piece of fabric knit of a stretchable synthetic body yarn and including front and rear body panels interconnected by a crotch panel, the major portion of said crotch panel being narrower than said front and rear panels, corresponding edges of said front and rear body panels being connected to each other and the edges of the crotch panel defining leg openings in the panty, said body yarn being knit to form open mesh fabric in the major portions of said front and rear panels and throughout said crotch panel, said open mesh fabric including alternate plain courses and intervening courses having regularly recurring spaced stitch loops transferred to adjacent wales, the transferred stitch loops being transferred in one direction in certain of said intervening courses and being transferred in the other direction in the remaining intervening courses, at least the medial portion of said crotch panel having an elongate area with an additional yarn interknit with the courses of said body yarn and forming terry loops extending inwardly of said panty, and the number of wales in which said additional yarn is interknit with said body yarn being gradually varied in successive courses at opposite ends of said elongate terry loop area to substantially round opposite ends of said terry loop area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,119,944 12/14 Fritsch 66177 2,706,389 4/55 Garrou et al 66177 2,952,149 9/60 Halliday et a1 66-177 DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FULL-FASHIONED PANTY FORMED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF FABRIC KNIT OF A BODY YARN AND INCLUDING FRONT AND REAR PANELS INTERCONNECTED BY A CROTCH PANEL, THE MAJOR PORTION OF SAID CROTCH PANEL BEING NARROWER THAN SAID FRONT AND REAR PANELS, CORRESPONDING EDGES OF SAID FRONT AND REAR BODY PANELS BEING CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER AND THE EDGES OF THE CROTCH PANEL DEFINING LEG OPENINGS IN THE PANTY, SAID BODY YARN BEING KNIT TO FORM OPEN MESH FABRIC IN AT LEAST THE MEDIAL PORTION OF SAID CROTCH PANEL, SAID CROTCH PANEL HAVING AN ELONGATE AREA WITH AN ADDITIONAL YARN INTERKNIT WITH THE COURSE OF SAID BODY YARN AND FORMING TERRY LOOPS EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID PANTY, AND SAID ADDITIONAL YARN HAVING GREATER MOISTURE ABSORBENCY PROPERTIES THAN SAID BODY YARN. 